hugtopia_logs | ♥ March (Ainir) Event Log

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♥ March (Ainir) Event Log

a starry night sky with the milky way trailing down to an old stone ruin in a field of purple flowers

March (Ainir) Event Log

The weather is growing quite lovely, punctuated by a sweet scent in the air as local flowers begin to grow and bloom, signifying the start of what many argue is the brightest and most comforting of seasons. While not all bend the knee for Ainea, she is beloved and well known as the kindest of the local deities, so even denizens of other chapters appreciate the good will she presents when her season comes to play. Brace yourselves, residents of Havenwell: spring has officially sprung, and the mouse is in your house. (Theologically speaking, anyway.)

❥ PROMPT I: Skits and Giggles

a gif of someone stomping on the ground with bottom text HAS A PERSONAL VENDETTA AGAINST THE NEIGHBOURS DOWNSTAIRS

As the month of Ainir wears on, things in Havenwell begin to turn towards the strange and chaotic…more so than usual. Circumstances align in unpredictable and convoluted ways, as though space and time themselves are making small tweaks here and there to rope the city's offworlders into a heretofore unseen range of odd situations. Out of nowhere, impulses will materialize into their mind(s), and while it is not forced, it might be hard to resist depending on the nature of the impulse or the people around them. Two people might find themselves on a simple shopping trip together searching for a strange item despite never having met before, or perhaps one will suddenly discover the urge to try making a multi-tiered cake and drag their friends along for the ride. It's very… unusual. One could even say such situations and desires almost feel randomly generated.

For the latter half of the month, Havenwell will be undergoing a more open-ended kind of chaos than usual; we encourage you to have fun and make your own range of situations from the ordinary to the improbably odd. (Like if Who's Line had no host but just inserted prompts into one's head.) Here are some random scenario generators, to get you started, though you are more than welcome to find your own, mix and match, or come up with something yourself:

A Very Helpful Master List

For One Character/General:
One Two

For Two Characters:
One Two

Something a Little Sillier

Curiously enough, these skits can be both contagious and magical to the point where objects useful to the scenarios themselves may manifest inexplicably to make it easier to play out. These objects don't tend to last long - they'll vanish before the end of the day if you take your eyes off of them at some point after their use has ended - but hey, maybe you'll find a use for that Turbo Doll you just fought some fella in the market for, before it's gone.

❥ PROMPT II: Festival of Flowers

watercolors surrounding a painting of a girl in a galaxy-patterned flower crown, holding small gold planets

With the influx of plantlife both natural and left over from the previous month's occurrences, Havenwell's residents are well supplied for the annual Festival of Flowers (MARCH PROMPT: Hold My Flower) celebrated every Ainir. Natives of the city will be happily working to weave crowns in all sorts pf colors and shapes; made with flowers real, synthetic, or a mixture of both. They will even be glad to instruct the offworlders in the art of flower crowns, or even insistently looking to weave flowers into the hair of those who might wear theirs a bit longer. If given the chance, they will even speak at length about their choices in both colors and the flowers' meanings, so long as the end result is made to suit its wearer both aesthetically and symbolically. The local greenhouses will be handing out the blossoms harvested for the festival, so feel free to participate guilt-free; remember, flowers are too impermanent to not enjoy! Offworlders will find plenty of species throughout the city, including some that might be familiar. It seems the world is still indulgently borrowing from home as it heals itself.

If anyone has leftover crystalline flowers, vines, and plants that grew from their hands last month, these items are more delicate than normal plants but can still be worked into the flower crowns with a gentle touch and a bit of effort.

❥ PROMPT III: Starlight, Starbright

a night sky in shades of green and blue, with a large amount of stars

Over the course of the festival, for some reason the night sky above Havenwell appears to be taking subtly different forms; it never looks quite the same twice, and often differs from person to person. The stars overhead arrange themselves into different configurations: that of Havenwell's distant past, perhaps, or even into constellations the city's offworlders might find familiar. If by chance one can see a sky that another can't, joining hands for an evening of stargazing might just sync them up to be underneath the same distant stars. Enjoy an evening of stargazing, sharing familiar or fresh constellations with someone special.

For those who are participating in the Festival of Flowers, you might notice a curious added effect: if you happen to go stargazing while wearing certain flowers, the starscape that appears may coincide with the location, season, or biome that flower is native to, as if the two are calling to one another. Since Havenwell has acquired a bountiful number of species from varying worlds over the last few seasons that this festival occurred, feel free to get creative with this concept. Does your world have a reverse sunflower that follows the moon during winter? Enjoy your winter sky and a very happy flower crown. Maybe you found a ghost orchid that only blooms in the hottest part of the summer. Sounds perfectly suited for a summer sky that just happens to appear above you now…

This event will run from March 15-31. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread. You can also use the Havenwell Status page or the General Plotting Comment to give you other ideas for original prompts!

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He knows that this won't do anything for the hidden features of his face, but-

"There's no reason you can't." Look nice, or pretty, or however else he wants to. "And not just with magic."

He can magically change Teo's appearance to how he used to look, but this he did entirely with his own two hands; he could do the same for himself.

"Aside from their beauty, these are all flowers that can be used in remedies and healing. Of course, prickly and poisonous flowers can look just as enticing, but for you, I think this is what suits you the most."

There's more he could say, but not out here. So he leaves it at that, dismissing his mirror.

"That's all I wanted to show you. You can go now, if you'd like."

It could be platitudes. Easily so. But Faust doesn't tend to deal in those. He took the time and care to do this without waving his hand to make it so.

He doesn't know what to say. Not to all this, not to the suggestion he'd be remembered, and note to the idea of being more healing than poisonous. He'd only thought it might feel nice. He hadn't expected more from it.

He rises to stand and rather than leave, he decides to risk something he's never tried before. He steps forward and he pulls Faust into a hug.

It's a brief squeeze, only lasting a moment. He draws back and steps further to put the space Faust tends to prefer. His hands fidget with one another in their gloves.

"Could still... do yours... if you... don't mind me... fumbling..."

He waits to see if he'll leave or if he has more to say, as he often does. What he isn't expecting is to be suddenly pulled into an embrace.

One foot slides back as Teo moves in, but the reflex is too late to escape it. He makes a quiet startled noise and he's left too stunned to react in the brief moment that it lasts. Once he's given his space again it takes him yet more time to recover, and he tugs down on the brim of his hat as he feels his face and ears heating up. Not even entirely because of the hug itself, but because he was taken so off-guard by it... no one at the manor would even dare to try...

"...That's- it's really not necessary..."

It was with good reason that he made the hug brief. Besides wanting to be careful with potential contamination-- even if he's made liberal use of the shower and laundry machine since coming here-- he also didn't know ho Faust would take it. Indeed it does seem to catch him off guard, but, though he hides a flush, Faust doesn't snap at him or anything like that.

He takes it as a good sign, starting to relax. He shrugs.

"No, but... it's nice...and we can... I wouldn't take... too long... you're hair's... shorter..."

Unfortunately for Teo, he's not completely in the clear yet. He's flustered, but that just makes him turn prickly to compensate.

"Don't get too full of yourself... I hardly gave you permission to hug me, and now you want to play with my hair too?"

His shoulders jump up and the rest of him stiffens. Now the alarms go off, well after they should have, like before he even did such a stupid thing in the first place. He hesitates a moment and then bows his head.

"... No... I'm sorry... You're right... Had no right... It... I won't do that... again..."

He turns slightly, gripping his hood like he's going to hide again, but he remembers the braid. He doesn't want to ruin that.

"I... didn't consider... being safer... didn't mean... it was okay... Even to... thank you... No excuse... Distance... I can keep... distance..."

It's almost annoying, the way Teo is so quick to shy away and withdraw when he shows even a hint of claws. At least he wishes it could be annoying, but instead he's just forcibly made aware of how he's the one being unreasonable, when he knows how he has misgivings about getting physically close to anyone at all due to the state of his body, among other things...

He sighs deeply, his hand lowering from his hat so he can cross his arms instead.

"Good grief... you didn't do anything so dire that you have to say things like that... just give me some warning next time."

Any concerns of infectiousness aside, it's just a hug... and just because it's been centuries since he's had that sort of contact doesn't mean he deserves to have that taken out on him...

"...If you want to braid my hair, I don't have a problem with that. There just isn't as much to work with..."

The shift leaves him more thrown off than before.

"Oh... Sure... yeah..." He can do that. He'll still keep his distance, he thinks, but if there's any reason to reach for Faust, he can definitely ask first. No problem. He'll be good.

Except maybe this once with the chance to give Faust what he's just had done.

"It's fine... I'll do... a little one... Unless you want... to magically grow more... but then... you'd be stuck... with that..." As long as the braid is in, anyway.

"...I could, but then I'd have to cut it back down..." Teo got the chance to see the way he used to wear his hair. He doesn't intend to keep it that way again.

Regardless, he hesitates a moment before he takes the seat that he vacated, already feeling some regret rise up at putting himself in this position... but he's already here and it's just some braiding, he may as well commit. He takes off his hat to settle it in his lap, at least giving him something to hold on to.

"...Have you even done this before?"

Presumably he must in order to have offered, but when it comes to the state of their memories, Teo's are in overall worse shape.

He figured that would be a no-go. He's not put out. This is the Faust he knows, the one who befriended him.

Faust settles and he steps close. The gloves are going to be a pain for this given that he can't properly feel the strands for himself, but it's not worth taking them off. He goes to reach for the pieces at the front, gently guiding them back past Faust's ear.

"...I don't know," He admits softly. He closes his eyes a moment and tries to imagine what it would feel like. Then the image comes. "... Once... I'm young... she's got... long dark hair... very pretty... She tells me... what to do... and I sit...and braid her hair... just how... she likes it..."

He opens his eyes again to Faust, and not the girl he only barely recalls. This braid will indeed be much smaller, but he tries to follow the vague memory of her voice. One over the other, then the other...

Even prepared and semi-willing, he can't help but ever so slightly wince at the fingers that come so close to his face to tug his hair back. He takes a deeper breath and holds the brim of his hand firmly in his lap. The sensation of having his hair handled is old enough to be foreign as well, but the longer he allows this to go on the easier it is to at least try and relax a little. If he can get past the tension, it doesn't feel so bad...

Focusing on Teo's distant description helps distract him from any discomfort as well. Someone with long dark hair, from his childhood... a relative or friend, most likely. He may as well try to prompt him to remember more.

"...She taught you? What's her name?"

One, two, three. Over and over and over...

What was her name? Who was she? He's remembered her before. Hythlodaeus' party, with the curry that made him think of her kitchen. Before then too. Her voice...

"Hhs...dh..." His brow furrows. Between focusing on the braid and trying to call up the memory, his ability to form words suffers. "Mmm..."

The name. What was her name? He nearly growls in frustration when something clicks, though it's not quite what he was looking for.

"... Minnie... she...hated that... wasn't her name... what people... called her when... they didn't want... to try... Like... calling me... Matt... hated it... so we... promised... Made sure... only Teo and... and..." He sighs. He almost had it. "Sorry... I can't..."

He has to hold his head still so as not to disturb Teo's work, so he just focuses on listening, frowning a little as he clearly struggles. But something coherent does come through in the end, even if it's only some small fragments.

"...Don't apologize. You did well to remember that much." Along with a casual human promise. Though... "...Why would anyone call you Matt?" He's not sure how you'd get that from Teo...

"Mmm..."

He's frowning again, trying to think. Why would anyone call him Matt? He only has the realization that he did and he didn't like it. It still doesn't sit right. It's not the way it's supposed to be said, some old part of him insists. That old part would do well to give him more details. Matt... Teo... Matt...

"Oh..."

The revelation comes out soft. He pauses a moment in his braiding looking up. But then, not wanting to mess up what he's doing, his gaze is back down.

"Mateo... Mateo." That sounds right. Mateo Garcia. "My name... isn't english... Hers...wasn't either... people get...silly... But I didn't want... a name that... wasn't me... Not Mathew... Not Mattie... Not Matt... Teo... I'm Teo..." There's a note of awe in his rasping voice, only realizing all this as he says it.

He's not sure if he'll be able to recall anything more, as much as he's already pushed at the edges of his memories. But he remains silent as he tries. If he can't, there will be more opportunities...

But it seems he was successful after all. Mateo... Mateo Garcia, as he still recalls his last name from their shared dreamscape. It's not a name he was about to forget, for unrelated reasons. Simply an unfortunate coincidence.

But as much as it seems like a victory for him to remember his own name, it sounds like there was a reason he just went by Teo. "...I'll continue to call you Teo, if that's your preferred name. But it must be a relief to remember where it came from."

He nods his head, though of course realizes Faust won't see it a second after. But there's yet another reason to be grateful to Faust.

"It is," He confirms. "If I had... family... or people who... knew me...it might... help to... prove it's me..."

It's one more piece of the past, of himself, who he was. He has another bit of connection to that girl. And besides all that...

"Wouldn't mind Mateo... from you... except... We've known each other... and you're... my friend... I wouldn't want... you to get formal... on me now..." There's a note of warmth in his voice as he says that. He finishes off the braid, but he's not yet done. Faust gave him yellow, so he passes over those flowers. He finds a set of tiny blue flowers looking like forget me nots. He tucks them in the braid and they frame Faust's ear. "So I'll stay... as Teo..."

"..."

It's a sobering reminder that, assuming he ends up back in his own world and in one piece, that he faces some hefty barriers to actually reconnecting with anyone from his past. But he won't take away from his achievement by bringing up all the things that could go wrong. He's sure he already knows.

He gets a glimpse of blue with hints of yellow centers as Teo picks out some flowers to place in his hair, and he has to refrain from the childish urge to reject them. It's not as if he would know the significance of those colors... and there's nothing wrong with the colors or flowers themselves.

"...I'll save Mateo for when you get on my nerves, then." It's a light jab, though he falls into a thoughtful silence afterwards. Even now Lennox insists on using formalities with him... but that was always the relationship he wanted. Nero obviously takes formalities less seriously, and there's no need for them with the Sage beyond using that title...

"...If anything, it feels like everyone often tries to treat me too formally, even though I'm a maledictor... at least I know that isn't a concern with you."

Hard to say if that's a compliment or an insult, depending on how you look at it.

The light jab makes him laugh. He decides that he can live with that. It's woefully easy to picture someone speaking his full name in disapproval, but he thinks, with Faust, he'll just remember this moment.

Faust's admission is sobering. He hums in thought.

"You are... a teacher... someone wise... and more..." A leader, for one. Even besides Faust's serious demeanor, it's not hard to see why people would remain formal.

"But it... does sound lonely... distant..." Faust has already lived such a lonely and distant life. It's not fair that he has more. "I don't want... to make anyone... feel that way... So I'm glad... you're not worrying..."

"...I'm not qualified to teach anyone, nor am I that wise... a maledictor is hardly worth that level of respect. Unless you fear getting cursed, that is."

But his so-called profession aside, he's no longer any sort of leader...

"...You say that as if it's a bad thing. I'm a shut-in; I prefer that people leave me alone or keep their distance. Yet the ones who call me teacher or sir or lord are the ones least likely to leave me be..."

He sighs.

"I just mean to say, I don't serve any particular role for you or your future... for better or worse."

Not that he doesn't still try to watch over him...

"Yeah, you are," He rasps without hesitation or doubt. Of course he doesn't mean the part about being a maledictor. He has no fear of being cursed by Faust.

The posturing continues. He smiles sadly behind his gaiter.

"There's a difference... between distance... in strangers... and those... who would be close... cared for... it's a different sort.. of lonely."

He finds another small flower to tuck in. White and purple this time.

"But still... no roles... for us... just two people... also..." He laughs helplessly, "I couldn't... call you... lord Faust... if I... heard that... I'd have to laugh... it's too silly... grand and... lofty... it's not you..." One more small bit of yellow afterall. "Okay... I'm done... you can look..."

He doesn't respond to that. He's not wrong per se, but... the complexities of differing roles within relationships isn't a subject they need to dive into.

"Ha... Lennox would disagree with you. But I'm not the same Faust he was hoping to find..." Not that he's been able to dissuade him from continuing to try and serve him anyway...

Their discussion helped distract him enough from Teo's hands in his hair that any initial uneasiness has faded. Given permission, he finally moves his head and draws the nearby mirror closer to take a look. One small braid, but decorated with those delicate blue flowers, accented with purple and white.

He just observes his reflection for a long moment, not saying anything. The blue is soft enough that he can liken it to the crest of Eastern Country, which feels much more fitting than where his mind took him before. Finally he gives a faint nod.

"...It looks nice... you did very well. Thank you."

"Would he...? Hm... No... I still can't... see it... even what I... know of the... old you... Lords are... rulers and... sinister power-seekers... You're not... like that... You'd care for... those around... not see them... beneath... Not a lord..."

But maybe that's just a matter of perspectives. He only knows lords from stories and terrible histories and only in the vaguest sense.

Though, something of what Faust says does give him pause, if belatedly. Lennox knows the old Faust...

"I'm glad..." He says. Faust's reaction to the flowers is muted. He smiles anyway.

He gives Faust a little more space from there, and in the same moment, reaches back for his own braid to draw it in front. He wants to see it as well as feel it. He weighs whether or not to ask the question on his mind.

"... Was Lennox... there... back then...?"

His reaction may be muted, but it's sincere. His commentary on lords is a strange perspective, to him. Not entirely wrong- there are certainly plenty of those in power who abuse it and seek more, he knows that all too well... but that's hardly a conclusion that can be drawn across the board...

"I don't know about that... Heathcliff comes from a noble family, and he's especially sensitive to those around him..." Arthur cares about his people as well, but he's not prepared to say that as if he can believe in him, too. "It's just not a title that suits me anymore, if it ever did."

He lightly touches the flowers and braid as he inspects them in the mirror for a moment longer, making sure they're secure enough before he stands up. He pauses at the question, briefly glancing around. But it's not like anyone of this world would even know of past events in his own...

"...I mentioned before that three of the newly chosen wizards are connected to that history... he was my servant. Obviously that isn't the case anymore, yet that hasn't deterred him from calling me Lord Faust..."

Whether it's because they've done what was set out to be done or because he doesn't want to stand here and talk about this, he starts to head down the street.

Noble families and servants. He blinks behind his goggles. It's times like these that he's reminded that Faust is, in fact, from a very different time. Faust starts off ahead and, with no better thing to do, he follows.

"Old habits... I guess..."

He should probably drop the topic. He knows Faust hates this, and things have been nice... but he doesn't know when else he'll have the chance to ask.

"Who are... the other two...? Not... Bianca...?"

"...It's not old habits; he's simply remained as stubborn as he used to be..."

Despite some annoyance in his tone, there's a softness to it. Teo's question isn't entirely unexpected, but he sighs heavily.

"Arthur is one... obviously he wasn't there himself, so it's only a matter of his lineage... the third is Figaro."

That name he says with some distaste, a scowl creeping onto his face before it sobers as he goes on.

"Bianca turned to stone a long time ago."

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